The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Bouvardia plant, botanically known as Bouvardia salisb, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99. Bouvardia is native to Mexico and other countries of Cenral America. The genus is named after the French medical doctor Charles Bouvard who lived from 1572 to 1657.
The genus Bouvardia is a member of the family Rubiaceae and mainly contains small shrubs. Generally, the flowers of Bouvardia contain a four-lobed calyx and a long tubular, funnel-shaped, corolla with four spreading lobes. There are two carpels and two stigmas and the fruit is a capsule.
Bouvardia plants are generally propagated by soft tip cuttings. For example, mother plants are pruned under temperature conditions which prevent flower bud formation (20-22xc2x0 C). Young shoots with at least two well-developed leaf pairs are rooted.
xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 is a product of a planned breeding program which had the objective of creating new Bouvardia cultivars having improved quality and flowers of various colors. xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 originated from a hybridization made by the inventor in a controlled breeding program in Roelofarendsveen, the Netherlands, in 1997. The female parent was a proprietary Bouvardia selection designated 95.359.1. The male parent was a proprietary Bouvardia selection designated 95.613.2. xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 was discovered and selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross by the inventor, John M. F. de Jong, in a controlled environment in Roelofarendsveen, the Netherlands.
The first act of asexual reproduction of xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 was accomplished when soft tip cuttings were taken from the originally discovered plant in 1998 in a controlled environment in Roelofarendsveen, the Netherlands by John M. F. de Jong. Horticultural examination of these asexually reproduced plants has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 which, in combination, distinguish this Bouvardia as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Light red/purple flowers that are dark red/purple at the center;
2. Dark-green foliage;
3. Short internodes, which makes it suitable for growing as a potplant; and
4. Excellent keeping quality.
The information presented in the table below shows a comparison between the instant plant and the parental cultivars.
xe2x80x98Royal Daphnexe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength without any change in genotype. The following observations, measurements, and values describe the pot plants at 12 weeks old, and plants for the production of cut flowers at 2-4 years old, as grown in Roelofarendsveen, the Netherlands under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial practice. Unless otherwise stated, the following observations, measurements, and values apply to both pot plants and plants for the production of cut flowers.